There are many types of body armor for protecting the upper body or torso of an individual, such as soldiers or warfighters, in combat zones. However, the lower torso is also vulnerable to injury from blast related events. The lower torso is generally intended to include areas of the body such as the lower intestines, colon, groin, bladder, femoral arteries, and lower portions of the back, spine, and kidneys. Until recently, approaches for protecting the lower torso of a soldier have generally been limited to frontal protection of the groin and upper leg regions. However, this generally left other approach angles in the urogenital area and other areas of the lower torso such as the femoral artery and perineum exposed during a blast event.
One approach to protecting the lower torso was a groin panel. The groin panel was a flat panel that hung from the body armor vest. However, the groin panel would have a tendency to flap and hit the wearer in the very area it was intended to protect, causing discomfort. Also, whenever the soldier would take a knee, the panel would be lifted by the thigh, exposing the urogenital, perineal and femoral regions. Additionally, a blast event could result in movement of the panel away from the area it is intended to protect.
A next generation groin panel had a three-dimensional contour and attachment to the trousers to improve the panel's lay against the body, even when taking a knee. The shaped groin panel was coupled with a blast protective diaper. However, the shaped groin panel and protective diaper system lacked femoral, pelvic and thigh coverage. The system would also need to be worn very snugly against the body to ensure protection given its limited area of coverage and was cumbersome to wear.
Other efforts have been made in the form of over garment body armor having over garment shorts. These shorts are meant to be pulled over clothing. However, such garments do not provide protective coverage of the urogenital and perineal regions of the lower torso. These types of garments also do not provide for ease of evacuation or medical access. The designs and fabrication of these types of garments also tend to be split, with breaks in the areas of coverage.
Thus, while efforts have been made to provide protection of the lower torso from hazards such as blast related events, these efforts have generally lacked adequate protective coverage, lacked user acceptance, and did not interface well with either the user or other body worn equipment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a protective garment for the lower torso that addresses at least some of the problems identified above.